


Blackbird

by BluJae



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Spy - Freeform, spook - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-10 14:24:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20529500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluJae/pseuds/BluJae
Summary: Hermione understands Severus’ role better than anyone else. Severus understand Granger to be nothing more than an annoying little know all. And Severus is wrong. So very wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Now that most of my editing has been completed for Carpe Omina I turned my attention excitedly to one of the other fics that I have in the works. However, the creative juices weren't flowing and I desperately looked for another story starter to get me inspired. Way down the list was on was one I idly came up with years ago but had no idea how to actually flush out a proper storyline. Well, that changed when I started writing and before you know it I had completed this fiction in two days!!! Whew.
> 
> I'm exceptionally proud of this fic as its not genre that I'm particularly drawn to or one I believed I could actually write for. But here we are. I do hope everyone else enjoys it.
> 
> As always...don't own. Not beta'd.

“Oh no.”

Albus patted Minerva's hand as she struggled to maintain her calm façade. He handed her a lime polka-dotted handkerchief which she carefully dabbed her eyes with before straightening up and taking a deep breath to prepare herself. That was what Albus liked about his Deputy. She was not prone to fits of emotional turmoil when a job was in need of being done. He nodded confidently at her before standing up and striding back to his chair behind his desk. He settled his robes appropriately as he took his seat.

“You’ve summoned her?”

Albus nodded just as Severus swept up the staircase and through the open door, Hermione Granger on his heels clutching her bag like it was a lifeline. He smiled kindly and motioned the young Gryffindor into the room as the door closed behind her. Minerva stood up and ushered Miss Granger into a seat opposite her own. A quick look at Severus told her he wouldn’t be joining them preferring to stand.

“Am I in trouble?” Miss Granger asked as she put her bag down between her feet.

“Oh no, dear. Nothing like that.” Minerva crooned trying to find the words to explain the situation to her cub. She glanced at Albus beseechingly. He sighed and adjusted his moon-shaped spectacles.

“Miss Granger there seems to be a-”

“My parents?” The girl interrupted and Albus could see Severus frown at her.

“We are...unsure at this point in time. We were alerted to a disturbance this morning by one of our wards we placed on your house. The muggle police were called and as such we cannot get any more information. Professor Snape has informed us that your name has been coming up more in their meetings. More so than usual, that is. We know, however, there was no dark mark cast above the home so- ”

“So, they’ve been killed or kidnapped?”

We... believe so. A... body was found.”

Granger stared at him. She swallowed loudly. “Just one?”

Albus nodded and watched as Hermione dropped her head and let out a sniff. Minerva clucked and sat forward just enough in her chair to pat the girl's hand consolingly. Albus looked up at Severus whose expression had not changed since he entered the room but he had expected that. His spy wasn’t prone to expressing himself to anyone let alone with a student present.

“Miss Granger,” Albus said softly intent on being gentle but knowing he needed to ensure that time was of the essence. The young woman wiped her eyes and bravely looked up at her headmaster. “We do not know what has happened but we want you to go to your home with Professor Snape and see if anything is amiss.”

“Isn't that dangerous sir?”

“Kingsley and Tonks have already scoped the house out for most of the morning. They were there when the muggle police were there.”

“Couldn't they just have confounded them?”

Albus shook his head. “There were too many to risk it. Needless to say, both attest its quite safe and you will have Professor Snape there to protect you.”

Granger shook her head, her mass of untamed hair bouncing with the action. “But can’t Tonks and Kingsley go there now?”

“Oh, for heaven's sake Granger stop being a ninny.”

“Severus!”

Albus ignored the two Heads of House who were now glaring at each other. “They are on Auror duties at present and by the time they are done-”

“Any magical residue will have disappeared,” Miss Granger said glumly falling back into her seat. She sniffed again and Albus felt for the young girl.

“Precisely. You also know your house better than anyone. You will be able to tell if something is amiss,” he murmured soothingly and watched with a bit of pride as she squared her shoulders and stood up gathering her bag. She turned to Professor Snape. “I'll just get changed then, sir?”

“Do as you wish but don’t dawdle.”

“Yes sir,” she whispered slipping past the dour man.

“Meet me at the Entrance Hall when you are finished,” he called after her. He understood why he must accompany the Gryffindor to her home but that didn’t mean he had to like it. The door closed on his words and Severus spun around to find Minerva in his face. “Please step back out of my personal space Minerva.”

“I'll do no such thing, you disagreeable man. You listen to me: if I hear one word of you being cruel or vindictive to that girl while she is grieving I will-”

“You’ll what Minerva,” Severus cooed pleased when her face pinched in anger. Oh, he did love to get the rise out of her.

“Severus please,” Albus said and Severus heard enough of his tone to know he was being warned. He bowed his head and sneered down at the Scottish witch.

“I will endeavor to treat her with the utmost care, Minerva.”

Minerva eyed the Slytherin warily before uncharacteristically slumping her shoulders. “The poor wee lass. She’s got enough on her plate as is.”

“Yes, I did hear her and Mister Weasley were quarreling,” Albus murmured stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Severus rolled his eyes. “Spare me the inconsequential lives of stupid students. Albus, you may continue nattering on like an old hen but I will not. I'll report back to as soon as we return.”

He ignored Minerva's spluttering with a smirk and flew down the stairs intent on getting this mission completed as soon as possible. He didn’t actually think it was something connected with the Dark Lord but one couldn’t be too sure. It was best to be safe.

Still, regardless as to whether the Grangers had been killed or kidnapped, there was little if anything they could actually do about it.

He flew down the stairs scaring a few students who were on their way to their dormitories and stood near the Entrance Hall doors waiting for Granger. It was now dark outside as the winter days shortened and Severus pulled his robes closer around his body. Granger came running down the steps and stopped wide-eyed in front of him. He eyeballed her outfit. Black pants, black sweater, black trainers and a pea-green coat.

Was she mocking him or trying to suck up?

Severus lifted his lip in response but Granger was too busy pulling her hair into a ponytail to notice it.

“Professor Snape. Professor Snape?”

“Oh, give me strength,” he muttered under his breath. Granger cast a sideways glance at him which he ignored focusing on the Divination Professor walking up to him. She tripped over her ridiculous skirts, looking down as if to find, other than her own two feet, what tripped her before scuttling up to them.

“Heading out Severus?” she asked her eyes darting to Granger who took a step back and crinkled her nose.

“Yes Sybill,” he gritted getting a waft of strong stale lavender and realized that was what Granger had reacted to. Sybill blinked up at him twice before looking again at Granger.

“With a student no less...Miss Granger,” she muttered.

“Professor Trelawny,” Granger managed.

“My dear girl you must come and see me soon. There are blackbirds in your aura.”

Granger glared at the dotty witch.

“Yes, well thank you, Sybill, but we are on an errand for Albus. If you have a complaint take it up with him.”

Sybill blinked again up at Severus. “Complaint Severus? No complaint.” She turned and tottered for a moment before wandering off talking to herself.

“Daft old bint,” Hermione muttered.

“Five points from Gryffindor.”

Granger looked up with a frown on her face.

“But I quite agree.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOooo I had some love for the first chapter. So glad it piqued some interesting cause this chapter who-boy...
> 
> Anyway, don't own...not beta'd

Granger lived in Hampstead Garden a far cry from his own humble beginnings in Manchester. Though he was glad for it at this moment in time. Spinners End was full of nosy muggle peering out of their cheap curtained windows and sticking their noses into business not their own. Hampstead was a quiet suburb with large houses that utilized privacy through large hedged fences.

Granger's house was a large semidetached bricked dwelling hidden at the end of a dark street. A white picket gate dwarfed by the towering hedge fence on both sides welcomed them into a small front garden. Granger seemed quite alert which Severus approved of as she slowly entered her house. She cast a quick homenum revelio indicating no others in the house. She relaxed a bit and took up to the second floor before he could stop her. He shrugged.

_She was a big girl._

Severus peered through the plain living room and into the dining and kitchen noting nothing out of the ordinary. He frowned at that. Albus had said a body was found on the premises yet it looked like nothing had ever happened. He walked back to the hall and looked up the stairs contemplating whether it had occurred on the second floor.

He put his hand on the banister intent on following Granger when the very distinct blue flashing light lit up the hall. Severus groaned pulling out his wand and palmed it by his side before striding out the open door and down the steps.

“Hands up!”

Severus stopped when he saw the guns aimed at him. That was odd. He didn’t think police officers generally carried guns in the UK though it wasn’t like he lived an overt muggle life. He sheathed his wand knowing better than to give them any indication that he held a weapon. A wizard he may be but a bullet could inflict just as much damage to him as it did to a muggle. He’d have to confound them wandlessly then. His eyes quickly took in the other two officers standing behind the car searching the surrounding area.

Two officers with their guns trained on him stepped in through the gate slowly. He carefully raised his hand up, his palms open and facing outwards. He noted none of them were in uniform though he could see the badges from where he stood. The taller one sporting a short dark beard and flinty grey eyes motioned for him to come closer.

“Who are you?”

Lie within the truth. “Professor Severus Snape. I am a chemistry teacher for a boarding school. My charge is a child who lives here.”

The short one whose blonde hair was cropped short eyed the garden nervously. “OH? And, where is she? This is a crime scene.”

“Upstairs.”

The short one said something into the walkie talkie on his shoulder and motioned for the tall one to move forward. “We’ll have to handcuff you until we verify your identity.”

Severus frowned and looked past them to the police car. The other two had were now walking around the car towards them. He would have to bide his time then. He nodded his acquiesces and allowed the tall one to handcuff his hands behind his back. He flinched when he felt an electric shock zap his wrist.

_Must be static electricity._

“I’ll go up and get her,” the blond one said to the tall one who nodded. Something sat oddly about their behavior and as the small one walked through the open front door, carefully looking through the other rooms before slowly creeping up the stairs Severus realized they had somehow known his student was a female even when he didn’t imply so. He frowned his instincts rearing up and setting his nerves on edge.

“Who are you then?”

“None of your business,” the other snapped his eyes strangely fixated on the stairs where his partner disappeared. Severus felt too uneasy now not to act now and opened his palms and concentrated.

“Alohomora.”

Nothing happened. Severus frowned and tried again. Again nothing. This should have been easy. He glanced at the stairs and then at the officer in front of him before summoning his wand from its sheath. Only it didn’t come to him. Now starting to feel agitated Severus looked at his options. He could head butt the officer in front of him and yell for Granger to disparate sure she was one of the ones who took the class early. Severus frowned at that, positive the annoying chit would just reveal herself and try to save him being the Gryffindor that she was.

A cry pierced the air and both Severus and the police officer tensed.

“You had better not hurt my student,” he snarled at the man who gave him a quick glance and scoffed.

“Or what, wizard?”

Severus froze. How had he known he was a wizard? He was sure they were muggles. His thoughts were cut off when a body tumbled down the stairs and landed motionless just inside the front door.

“Blackbird! Blackbird!” the bearded officer yelled to the others as he took in the broken body of his partner and sprinted up the stairs his gun cocked.

What the devil was blackbird? What is going on?

Severus reached deep in his magical core and tried to pull it forth only to refuse to budge. He shook his handcuffed hands angrily and-

_The handcuffs! Fuck!_

“Granger! Run!” he yelled and then felt a sharp pain at his temple and he fell onto the paved pathway. Without the help of his hands, he instinctively tucked his body in so he landed jarringly on his right shoulder. He gritted his teeth at the pain and blinked up at his attacker. It was one of the officers outside the gate. She sneered down at him and aim her gun at his head. Severus swallowed.

The gunshot was extraordinarily loud to him, momentarily deafening him and he felt a searing burning pain bloom in his chest. He blinked down to see blood welling up through the bullet hole.

_I just got shot!_

Pulling up his occlumency shields once he recognized the beginning signs of shock helped him also deal with the pain. He rolled to his side intent on finding Granger and getting out of this shitshow. He let out a pained snarl as he maneuvered his hands from behind him to his front and stood up tottering sideways before catching himself.

He blinked as he took in the scene. Granger was now on the path outside the gate throwing punches at the officer who had just shot him. She ducked as the woman spun and aimed a kick at the Gryffindor's head and Granger took the opportunity to land a punch in her assailants' gut. The officer let out a loud oof and Granger followed it with two sharp jabs to the women's face. The women's head snapped back with such force Severus winced. The woman stumbled back her hand wiping away the blood that poured from her now broken nose.

_What the fuck?_

Granger darted out of range before spinning and landing a kick to the women's calf buckling her to her knees. In the same movement, Granger grabbed her head and spun her so she was effectively encased in a chokehold.

“That's enough.”

Severus hadn't noticed the bearded officer come down from the house, his gun aimed at Granger. Severus stumbled as he turned slightly to take in the other officer. He aimed it quickly at Severus who stilled not wanting to be shot again and then back at Granger for some reason seeing her as the bigger threat. The woman in her hold struggled, flailing her arms to try and catch Granger off balance though Granger was seemingly ignoring her attempts her eyes on the man.

“You already know how this ends.”

Severus was shocked to hear the cold detached voice come from Grangers mouth and before he could make a sound Granger twisted violently and snapped the women's neck. The woman dropped like a sack of potatoes.

“Granger,” Severus croaked his eyes on the now dead woman. His student took no notice in him however leaping easily over the ivy landed gate and barreling down on the man who held a gun on her. Another shot rang out and Severus noted with relief that though Granger had fallen to her knees she seemed unhurt. Her eyes were firmly on the officer as she relaxed for a moment back on her knees. A gurgling sound tore his gaze from her and his eyes widened when he saw a knife protruding from the officer's neck. Blood spurted violently from the wound as he too fell to his knees and then to the ground.

_Where the fuck did she get a knife?_

Severus looked back at the woman Granger had killed the man who had fallen from the stairs to the officer with a knife buried in his trachea.

“Granger,” he rasped and Granger cut a look to him. “There’s another one.”

She relaxed slightly. “She’s already dead,” she said a matter-of-factly.

Severus licked his lips. “Well then. You mind telling me what the fuck is going on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you see that coming????


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again....did you like the last chapter? 
> 
> Don't own...not beta'd

Hermione stood pulling her jacket over her shoulders and zipping it up to her chin. She motioned for Snape to turn around noting he was quietly seething and panicking as he took in the people that she had just killed. She had already lifted the keys off the first man who tried to sneak up on her outside the upstairs bathroom. He had obviously been a rooky or else he wouldn't have been so easy to subdue.

She had tossed his body down the stairs and then leaped out the side window landing quietly in the soft grass as the other male bellowed to his back up and ran up the stairs. She quickly snuck up on the first female officer who had her gun pointed at Snape while her partner king hit him in the temple. It was all too easy to cover her mouth and she slid her blade in between the third and fourth rib. She dropped her carefully when she stopped moving and ran up on the bitch who was pointing a gun at Snape's head.

A quick hair pull jolted the shot though the bitch had spun easily enough and started throwing punches at her. Hermione almost smiled as she dodged them and threw her own. However, her opponent wasn’t even close to her level and she had quickly snapped her neck.

She had been shot though, the bullet leaving a clean exit wound through her side. She didn’t think it touched any vital organs though it hurt like a bitch. But it hadn’t been the first time she had been shot either so she buried the pain and freed her potion master from his cuffs.

“Magical suppression cuffs.”

“What?”

She held them up to his face and dangled them. He frowned. “They were muggles.”

“Yes. Who do you think invented them?”

She summoned a hand towel from the bathroom and handed it to him her eyes cutting to the bullet wound. He grabbed it and pushed it to the wound hissing painfully.

“I don’t' think it exited. You'll need that looked at.”

“We’re heading back to Hogwarts right now and you will explain to Albus, Minerva and me what the fuck happened here.”

“No, I can't. I've got somewhere to be.”

He stared at her somewhat uncomprehendingly. “Granger you just killed four muggles. You are not going anywhere.”

“You've got no say in the matter, sir.” Her eyes cut to the footpath and he followed before grimacing at the sight of his wand broken. He must have landed on it when he fell.

“Give me your wand then. I'm not playing, Granger, this is serious.”

“Oh, I know it's serious. Now you have to come with me.”

“Where?”

“What's up Danger?”

Hermione turned her head and smiled at a young man leaning against the police car. “Demetri. Just in time. As always.”

_As always?_

Severus frowned at the man who bowed his head at the witch and then surveyed the yard.

“Standard clean up then?”

“Please,” Hermione said as she walked past him and folded herself into the police car leaving the door open and her legs dangling out.

“Granger,” Snape said his hand pressing the bullet wound and he stumbled eyeing the dark man as he passed him. He saluted Severus with a grin before grabbing the woman with the broken neck and hauling her on his shoulders.

“Granger,” he hissed feeling more confused and angrier than he had ever been in his life. Granger ignored him her focus on a computer attached to the car's dash. She snarled and stood up from the passenger seat. “We need to leave.”

“We’re not going anywhere until you tell me what the fuck is going on.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm and disapparated. The twisting righted itself in an avalanche of whiteness and cold. Severus fell too discombobulated to hold himself up and sucked in a sharp hiss as he fell into deep snow. He struggled up buffeted by more wind and snow and squinted.

“Granger!” he yelled though the wind took his words. She was already striding away. “I’m going to throttle your little neck,” he roared as he made his way after her. He could do nothing else, not knowing where the fuck she had taken him and without a wand no way back. She seemed quite at home in this snowstorm and Severus, wounded, struggled to keep up. He had no idea where she was going but if they didn’t find shelter soon, they would freeze to death.

Granger had stopped then and turned back to him and Severus found through the whiteness a small log cabin.

“Whoever the fuck lives here is fucking mental,” Severus grumbled pulling his robes tighter around his frame and casting another warming spell. He was pleased to feel his magic responding to him as it did before the handcuffs though it was so cold the spell didn’t do much but keep him from losing his fingers.

He caught up with her as she waited near the door and Severus was pleased to see her lips blue and her frame shaking. “I'm going to see that you're expelled for this Granger.”

She ignored his threat and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

The deep Russian voice jolted Severus a bit but Granger showed no reaction.

“It's me, papa.”

The door flung open and a giant bear of a man flooded the doorway. Severus could see he was quite a bit older than he was with a silver beard and shorn gray hair. A scar traveled from his temple to the back of his head puckering the skin obscenely. Despite his age, he was muscular and firm in his stance. Severus got the feeling he was a man that didn’t play nice.

“This isn't your father,” he said stupidly.

“Niet,” The man answered looking critically at Severus. “I'm her handler.”

“Handler?”

“Can we just go inside. I’m fucking freezing,” Hermione exploded and shoved past the man into the cabin. The Russian stared at Severus for a moment longer before following the young woman. Severus stepped into the cabin noting it was just one room and shut the door to the squall outside. Granger had made her way over to the fire and was stomping her feet and holding her hands over the flame.

“Why have you brought him?”

“He’s a spy. We can trust him.” She glanced at Severus. “ To an extent.”

“Granger,” Severus hissed storming over to the witch and grabbing her roughly. He shook her angrily before he hissed in pain, releasing her and cupping his own arm.

“You are injured,” the Russian said and motioned for the wizard to sit on the bed. He did so begrudgingly unsure of how much he could actually trust the man. Granger seemed quite relaxed in his presence though.

“You know what Granger is then?”

“Da,” he said scrounging through a bag and pulling out a first aid kit. Severus grimly watched as he took a pot off the fire and placed in on the stone ground, dipping his hand in and shaking them off.

“Then she can heal me.”

The man let out a laugh that seemed to fill the whole room. “Not here she can't. There is a magical dampening field on each side of the cabin for two clicks in every direction. Its why she apparated you so far from here.”

“And why the warming spell kept failing,” Granger added stepping closer to the fire and rubbing her arms.

Severus scoffed. “Dampening field? There's no such thing.”

Granger rolled her eyes at the man as if to say ‘see what I deal with’. Severus snarled angrily planning swift retribution on the Gryffindor.

“Let me look at the wound.”

Severus shook off his coat gritting his teeth at the pain that sliced down his arm. The Russian ripped his shirt and looked critically at the wound. “The bullet is still lodged inside. I will have to extract it. Starling? Get the vodka.”

Severus frowned at the name but said nothing as Granger grabbed a bottle of vodka from the tiny kitchenette and gave it to him. Severus eyed the bottle. The Russian nodded to it.

“Take big drink. Will take the edge off.”

“I doubt it,” Severus muttered before pulling the bottle to his lips and subsequently coughed and spluttered as his eyes watered and his throat burned. Besides the thought that he was dying a fiery death, he heard a loud chuckle of the Russian.

“Da, that will put hair on your chest,” he said jovially as he cleaned the wound with disinfectant.

“It’s Balkan,” Hermione explained with a smile on her face. She took the bottle from Snape's spasming fingers. “Watered-down of course.”

“Watered down,” Severus wheezed.

“Da, if it wasn’t, it would kill you,” The Russian explained and Severus blinked his eyes clearing the tears from them. He heard a distinct plink as the Russian dropped the bullet on the ground. He hadn't even felt anything after he sipped that devils drink. Severus worked on remembering how to swallow again as the Russian stitched him up.

“Ok, Starling your turn.”

“She wasn’t injured.”

The Russian looked at her critically. “Da, she is. I think...shot yes? Lower left side.”

To Severus' surprise, Granger grinned and lifted her top to reveal an opened red and angry wound just above her hip and shrugged. “It exited cleanly so it wasn't an issue.”

“You obviously packed ice into it,” The Russian said and gestured for her to come closer. She moved to his side and Severus couldn’t help but notice that she had other scars littering her stomach. Not large by any means and not that many but odd regardless. He didn’t offer Granger any of the vodka and just started stabbing her with the sewing needle. Granger barely reacted, wincing a bit when he stabbed too deeply.

“Who are you?”

“I cannot tell you my real name. Even Starling does not know it, but I am known as The Dragon.”

Severus scoffed derisively at the moniker and the Russian paused in his stitching. Granger didn’t even blink and continued to stare at the wall.

“Better than your Lord Voldemort no?”

Severus flinched and grabbed at his arm; the reflex too ingrained within him. “Don't say his name.”

The Dragon returned to his stitching and shrugged as he tied off the stitches and spun Granger around to start on the exit wound.

“So, you know about the Dark Lord as well?”

“Why do you think Starling was assigned this mission?”

“Mission?”

“Do you not understand yet? Starling is a spy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave the love...leave the love!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hades...the love shown for this fic has made my day. My gift to you: an update!!!
> 
> Don't own, don't use a beta either.

Hermione set out foraging for some food she knew the Dragon had hidden in his supplies and was pleased to find some bread and hard cheese. She sat down near the fire, ripping the bread and had thrown one half to her handler who caught it swiftly and handed it to Snape. Snape contemplated it for a moment before accepting it taking a bite and chewing angrily.

_Why is he always angry?_

The Dragon was now explaining everything to Professor Snape who seemed shell shocked, to say the least. Hermione knew the story well enough and leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

Hermione was born without a name, without a birth certificate, and without an identity. Her mother had been killed the minute the cord had been cut and she had been whisked away to an unknown location. Her first memories were of running through the tundra trying to escape the Dragon. She remembers not feeling any fear just a deep desire to prove herself.

The Dragon was essentially her teacher. Every girl in the program was assigned one and there were 12 girls overall. She had been the youngest and the last to be placed in the program and all had similar beginnings to her. And while they seemed to be sisters in arms they were not to be trusted. At least that was what Dragon had told her.

She was glad that Dragon was her assigned teacher. The Bishop scared her and the Knights girl was useless because he didn’t push her hard enough. Dragon wasn’t nice but he was effective. He had trained her to be ruthless and clever often pushing her past her endurance. She had been trained in Krav Maga as well as other martials art, was an elite marksman and knew how to kill a man 100 different ways and more. She was fluent in a dozen languages and knew how to survive the most extreme environments.  
It wasn’t just muggle regiment that had been a part of the day- to-day life for Starling either. She was also trained magically, learning defense strategies and skills that would help her blend in subtly in the magical world.

Normally they trained alone deep in the Russian wilderness as The Agency did not want the girls to form attachments. Dragon was a squib as most of the handlers were. The Blackbird program was employed to utilize the skills of both muggles and witches to create spooks that we're able to infiltrate every facet of any regime. Granger had been deployed to North Korea, Pakistan and America to complete missions before they had been forced into deep cover.

It all went pear shaped when they discovered someone within the program was killing the girls. One mid-winters night when she had been ten, Dragon had woken her up and whisked her away. He was frightened always looking in the rear-view mirror which worried Starling as she had never seen the Dragon fearful though.

“What's happened?”

“We’ve been found out. We must leave and hide.”

Starling sat in the back seat and buried deeper within the blankets Dragon had wrapped her in. “Deep cover?”

“Very deep.”

Deep cover had come in the ruse of muggle born Hermione Jean Granger. Starling had never had a true name before and had enjoyed her first forays of primary school before her letter to Hogwarts arrived. After Minerva McGonagall left their house Dragon had explained she had another mission straight from the Director. She was to pretend to be an annoying little know it all, befriend the boy who lived and protect him at all costs.

For Starling who was already fifteen befriending and pretending to be eleven had been difficult. She had always been small, born early and with her training and some of the scientific experiments done on her when she was a babe, had not developed as normal children did. Although she was pleased when her hips started to round out and her breast finally grew in properly three years later. It had been good timing as she could blend in easily enough with the other girl's maturation.

Occasionally she was sent out on other missions though they were usually minor in importance and almost always occurred in the summer months. She always enjoyed them as they allowed her to practice skills she could not or rarely had a chance to utilize within the walls of Hogwarts. Her primary mission, though, was to protect Harry Potter. Which was difficult, to say the least as the boy was notoriously bent on breaking the rules and getting himself into all types of dangerous situations. She shuddered to think what the Director would say when some of her reports would be read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify:
> 
> Book Hermione is a year older than her classmates...add 9-12 months for timer turner.  
My Hermione is three years older than her classmates...add 9-12 months for time turner = 20-21 years old.
> 
> If anyone was a teen in the 90's you'll know that we stayed childlike for quite some time unlike the kids today. My 13 yo looks so much older than me at 13. So I hope I don't ruffle too many feathers with that.
> 
> A short chapter but considering I'm updating every day I doubt y'all will be too upset.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again...I'm so happy you are all liking this story...here's another update for you as a treat!
> 
> Don't own, no beta!

Severus stared down at the witch. “So, you’re a spy then.”

“We prefer the name spook or agent but essentially yes.”

“And those police officers?”

“Were not police officers.”

He hummed as he watched the wind blow snow across the wide-open expanse in front of the cabin. On each side were thick dark forests with tall spruce trees creaking and swaying with the force of the snowstorm. The cabin was warm though and Severus could hear the Dragon behind him stomping around and gathering things. He ignored the Russian his thoughts whirling around the young witch next to him also staring into the Russian night through the tiny window.

“How old are you?”

“Roughly? Twenty-one I think...they don’t know my actual birthdate though.”

“By what...Dragon tells me...you could have passed your NEWTS in first year.”

She shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal and to an extent, she was probably correct. What was a couple of NEWTS compared to killing someone with a twist of your hands? “Probably. I’ve been training all my life.”

He seemed to contemplate that. It had been strange when Dragon had explained Granger's life and mission. On one hand, he knew exactly what it was like to play the part forced upon you but on the other, he couldn’t reconcile the girl he knew with the woman standing beside him looking out at the darkness. It was surprising to him how many things had gone unnoticed, been completely unaware of or just brushed off. She had always been more mature than her fellow classmates but now he saw that maturity steeped in heavy experience. She had played her part so well Severus and Albus had been fooled by her swotty and seemingly innocent personality.

Severus thought back on her school years and realized that some of her actions made much more sense then they had at the time. She easily broke the rules without a moment's hesitation from stealing ingredients from his stores and brewing a highly restrictive potion to assaulting Umbridge and breaking into the Ministry. He had so many questions yet knew somehow she would refuse to answer most of them. Regardless he had his own job to do and that was return Miss Granger to Hogwarts safely.

“We must get back.”

Granger nodded and unfolded her arms. “Yes. Now that I've touched base with Dragon, I know what my objective is.”

“And that is?”

“Dragon made contact with the Director. We’ve known for a while that someone has infiltrated our agency, stealing information and killing agents and their handlers. The rest of the girls, bar one, in the Blackbird program are dead. They’ve obviously found me. I'm to lure them out into the open and uncover their plan.”

“We have to tell Albus.”

Granger turned suddenly, her face sever as she looked at him. “No that is something we definitely can't do. It was one of the first directives. Albus must not be interfered with. He must not know.”

“Then how do we explain our absence? We left just after 9 pm yesterday.”

“Simple. The muggle officers took us to the police station to identify the body. There are protocols in place that take time.”

Well, he could actually work with that. “Ah yes, what body is that?”

“We employed a cook and a cleaner that were easily... swayed to pretend to be my parents. It’s the cook's body they found...my father.”

Severus knew that easily swayed meant imperio but chose to ignore it. “And your...mother?”

“Dead, her body was found later at the dentist's office.”

He was about to ask her something about that when she cut in. “Wizards do not look too closely at anything muggle especially muggle tooth doctors.”

“Ah that would be correct I suppose.”

She turned back to the squall. “We’ve never had a nosy stickybeak yet.”

From behind them Dragon picked up a duffle bag and set a large hand on Granger's shoulder. He gave a nod to Severus who returned it. “I will be leaving Starling. You know how to contact me. Severus? You could learn a thing or two from my Starling.”

Severus scoffed inwardly and then squashed that thought process. He and Granger were different types of spies. He had never killed anyone before and yet in one night GRanger killed four without blinking. It was entirely possible she could teach him a thing or two. Surprisingly that didn’t upset him as much as he thought it would.

Granger bowed her head and smiled as Dragon opened the door, stopping to breath deeply before the old bear lumbered into the forest. Granger stepped away and closed the door after him.

“Does he know where he's actually going?”

Granger laughed. “He was born here. His mother was a witch and was banished here for having a half-blood. Dragon grew up in these forests. He knows them like the back of his hand.”

“His mother is a witch?”

“He’s a squib and who do you think taught me witchcraft?”

“I thought...”

Hermione smiled and pointed to the corps of trees to the left of them. Severus nearly had a heart attack at the ghostly apparition that hovered near the tree line. The floating specter had an incredibly wrinkly face, grey stringy hair that fell past her knees and glowing white eyes. Her gnarled hands clasped a broom in front of her as she stared at the cabin.

“That's a Baba Yaga.”

“That's my Baba Yaga. Don’t look at her for too long.”

Severus cut his eyes from the grey witch shuddering as the trees creaked ominously in the wind. Granger had grown up here and was obviously unconcerned with the sinister surroundings.

“We should go soon before this storm gets worse.”

“I agree however I want to know what you expect from me?”

Hermione turned and stared at the man. “Exactly what you expect from me.”

He considered her answer. “To protect your secret and act as nothing has occurred out of the ordinary?”

She smiled. “Exactly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand that there are some things I am not flushing out as thoroughly as I do in Carpe Omina. I think it reads better without me going into too much depth. Secretive...elusive...spy-like.
> 
> Anyway...let me know how you liked it...or um...what your favorite chocolate is?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all all with me still? 
> 
> Ok..new chappie
> 
> No beta, I don't own.

The last Hogsmeade visit came upon them so suddenly that Hermione almost decided against going. A quick look at the head table told her otherwise and she quickly rushed to her dormitory to retrieve appropriate outerwear. The winter was unusually harsh this year as they trekked through the snows to the village and Hermione listened with a half ear as Harry complained about Malfoy.

Ron was up ahead somehow lip-locked with Lavender while walking. Hermione shook her head in disgust. That boy really got on her nerves. Everyone believed her to be half in love with the twit and that suited Hermione's needs just fine, however, she was over his juvenile behavior and close to hexing him.

Hermione made an excuse of having to pick up a shipment of books from Tomes and Scrolls and waved off Harry and Ginny as they made their way to Honeydukes. She’d promised to meet up with them later and set off at a brisk pace. Tomes and Scrolls was not as grand as Flourish and Blotts though it did hold some rarer books that always piqued her interest. Books were something she didn’t have to fake an interest in. Dragon had ensured she always had a supply of both fiction and non-fiction, magic and muggle books at her disposal.

Hermione entered the book store heading straight to the rare tomes section and started to peruse the shelves.

“Hello, Miss Granger.”

Hermione turned and smiled at Tomes & Scroll's owner Dunstan Pickering. He was old as dirt but kind and knowledgeable and Hermione knew him to be a bit of a gossip which was always good for a spook. She smiled at the man.

“Hello, Mister Pickering.”

Pickering grinned toothily before stepping closer to her. Hermione watched as his face turned concerned and he looked about before leaning in. “You be careful today Miss Granger. Strange folk about.”

Interest piqued, Hermione leaned in. “What strange folk?”

He leaned back looking down the aisles and motioned for Hermione to look herself. She did so, frowning as a man slipped between another set of book stacks before she could get a good look at him. She looked at Pickering.

“He’s been in and out all morning. Looking at the shop like a first-year muggleborn. I watched him marvel at my broomstick that I keep at the door. Odd man indeed.”

The front bell rang indicating a new customer and Pickering patted her hand and moved off to greet them. Hermione frowned further and dashed down the aisle hoping to get a sight of the stranger and his behavior.

She caught him pulling out an arithmancy book and perusing it with delight before shelving it. He moved down the aisle his face lighted as he touched the books. It was when he came to a floating candle that Hermione figured out who he was.

_A muggle._

The man had wove his hand over and under the candle, checking to see if it was held up by anything other than a simple charm. He made a small sound of delight and marveled at it more than what Hermione thought was suitable for a wizard that age.

_How the hell was a muggle in Hogsmeade village? Not only that how could he see and interact with all the magic around him?_

There were charms and wards in place that stopped that precise thing.

She cursed internally when he looked up and caught her staring at him. His face stuttered and he spun quickly running for the front door. Hermione followed close enough so she wouldn’t lose him but far enough to keep suspicions from others.

He stumbled into the main street and glanced back nervously his eyes landing on her own before he started to rush through the crowd. He ran into a 7th year apologizing profusely while constantly looking back at Hermione. She couldn't run after him here as there were too many eyes and would definitely be too suspicious. She watched as he stepped into a lane tripping over his own feet as he broke into a run.

Clear of any wandering eyes Hermione also broke into a run. He panicked letting out a yelp and running faster. His feet took him just outside the village limits and Hermione took out her wand ready to stupify the muggle when he stopped spun and disapparated.

_What the fuck?_

“Shit,” Hermione cursed as she ran to the spot, she saw him last and started casting tracking charms.

“Who was that?”

Hermione looked up in alarm to see Severus striding over to her his wand out but at his side. She relaxed somewhat her wand twisting as she cast her charm. It wasn’t his Hogsmeade weekend to chaperone so she was surprised to see him here and able to sneak up on her. The snow must have limited the sound of his feet.

“I’m not quite sure but he ran when he saw me.”

“He ran when he saw you?” he drawled surveying the area. Hermione growled.

“Innocent people don’t just start running. In any case, I'm positive he was a muggle.”

“Impossible-

“Dammit, Snape shut up. I’m trying to track him”

He stiffened momentarily. “For what purpose?

She looked at him like he was daft. He sighed and lifted his wand. “Very well if you insist on tailing him, I will come with.”

She raised an eyebrow which he ignored and continued on from where she left off. “Got him,” he said triumphantly and held out his hand. Granger felt the twist of disapparition the minute her fingers closed around his own and she fought to hold her breath as the movement squeezed her momentarily. They landed in a dreary lane surrounded be what looked like unused factories.

“Know where we are?” Hermione asked Snape keeping her wand at the ready. It was clear they were in a muggle area though they couldn’t let their guard down considering there were strange magical muggles about. Snape pointed to the distance where Hermione could see cranes and what looked like ship masts. She shook her head her eyes returning to their surroundings thankful that it was the weekend and as such most muggles would not be working.

“Looks like Hartlepool.”

Hermione shook her head again unfamiliar with the place. “No idea but I’ve got a weak magical signature. This way.”

Both Severus and Hermione ran to the closest wall and crept along with it occasionally stopping to ensure they weren't being watched or if they heard an odd sound. They made it all the way to a dirty red-bricked building. Hermione nodded her head to the grey door.

“Signature ends here. Cover me?”

Snape nodded his eyes darting to the surrounding buildings while Granger cast a disillusion spell on herself. She pulled out a magical skeleton key careful to hide it from Snape. It had been designed by The Agency to open any muggle door no matter how many locks were on it or what types. Hearing three clicks, she opened the door slowly ensuring it didn’t make a noise with the movement before slipping in. Severus followed her a second later.

A long grey corridor greeted them on the other side and they quickly ran to the nearest door and slipped in. Hermione released the spell becoming more visible once more and frowned at her surroundings. There were boxes and boxes piled up on one another. She opened one and took out a fistful of papers looking them over quickly. She growled sorting through most of them quickly before slamming them back in the box. Severus looked over at her from his place by the door his disillusionment charm fading and his eyes on the corridor through a little window.

“Redacted,” she hissed picking another box and going through some more paper. She squinted. “The Cell. That's the name of this place. I've never heard of it. Though it seems like they're doing some heavy research.”

“What research?”

“I'm not sure. Medical maybe? Experimental? But if I don’t get back to Hogsmead soon I'll be missed. I'll have to come back.”

“When?”

“It’ll be easier if I wasn’t on a time frame. It doesn’t seem like they're aware we can track disapparition or otherwise we would have been hexed the minute we landed.”

“You actually believe that? This could be a trap.”

She frowned. He was correct, it could be but something was off about the whole situation. “No. I don’t think so. Pickering said the man had been there all morning marveling at the place like a first year. I think he was a muggle seeing magic for the first time.”

Severus frowned. “How did he get past the wards? They haven't failed in over 1000 years. Better yet how'd he disapparate?”

Hermione shook her head. “I don’t know, but I'm going to find out. I’ll have to come back over Christmas.”

“_We’ll_ have to come back over Christmas.”

Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise. Snape huffed irately rolling his eyes.

“You don't honestly think I'm going to allow you to do this on your own?”

“Yes, I did...I don’t gate crash a Death Eater party do I?”

“Granger,” Snape warned his eyes darting to the small window in the door. Hermione considered him. It would be beneficial to have someone to back her up.

“Very well. Can you meet me outside the leaky cauldron the day we leave for Christmas?”

He nodded and held out his hand. She hesitated before grabbing it again. They spun simultaneously but didn’t' disapparate. Snape looked down at Granger before his confusion cleared.

“Dampening field.”

Granger nodded grimly casting another disillusionment charm knowing they only had a few minutes before it wore off completely. Snape did the same thing and they slipped out the door and then were out in the open running for the point they had arrived at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the?
> 
> A muggle?
> 
> A MUGGLE???
> 
> Dear lord Lucius was right!!!
> 
> They're coming for us!
> 
> Hide yo kids, hide yo wife!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't own. No beta!

Slughorns Christmas party left her feeling disgusted with wizards in general. She had asked McLaggan as her date as a way of keeping eyes off of her as she scouted the other guests. McLaggen was a terrible show-off and wouldn’t be able to resist being the center of attention with so many well-known wizards. She hadn’t counted on the fact that McLaggen wanted to stick his tongue down her throat every chance he got. She spent too long trying to dissuade him from further action or hide from the boy to properly scout the area. One wizard in particular though left her confused, thinking she had seen him before but couldn't place him despite her eidetic memory.

Mclaggen had stopped her once again from doing her job though when she asked Slughorn he merely introduced the wizard as a dear friend from Slovenia. Which was odd considering Slughorn enjoyed boasting about his many numerous connections. She spied Slughorn and the man conversing in a corner and before she could sneak in to overhear McLaggen had swooped in sticking his tongue down her throat. Again.

She almost bit it off.

By the time she had managed to disentangle herself the wizard was gone. She had asked Slughorn about him but her question was ignored and he promptly introduced to a pureblood witch who sneered down at her.

Thoroughly unimpressed with the night she had retired mentally gearing up for tomorrow night when she and Snape would infiltrate the warehouse again.

The next day after being thoroughly repulsed by lavender and Rons goodbye to each other and a relatively quiet train ride she had made her way to the leaky cauldron. Snape was already waiting for her and silently strode into an alleyway without seeing if she would follow him.

As she caught up with him, he handed her a cloak. Her face obviously showed confusion as he took out another. “An invisibility cloak. Not up to the same standards as Potters but should help us enough with the muggles and their damn dampening field.”

Oh, that was clever. She hadn’t even thought of that. Perhaps having a partner was better than she thought it would be. Hermione nodded and spun the cloak around her shoulders, bringing the hood up over her head. Snape nodded and did the same. It was true they weren't as effective as Harry's but should a muggle catch them, he would think his eyes had become blurry momentarily. They would have to be careful moving but it should give them enough cover.

They disapparated to the same spot and made their way once again to the warehouse. After checking the way was clear they slipped into the corridor again and moved further down. There were three more doors hiding more stacked boxes before they finally came to an exam room. Noting it was empty they slipped inside and started looking for something that would explain what was going on. Snape went straight for the desk and started rifling through the papers and folders.

Hermione, however, went to the wall were a few x-rays hung on lighting boards she noted nothing strange about them and peered closer at some of the photos that were tacked on the walls. She pulled back with a hiss of shock.

Photo after photo showed young people strapped to a bed screaming in obvious pain as masked surgeons opened them up.

“What the fuck?”

“What the fuck indeed,” Snape echoed coming to stand next to her and looking at the wall in grim horror. He handed her a file which she snatched and started looking through.

“They’ve been experimenting on witches and wizards.”

Hermione felt sick as she read coroner reports and experiments completed. “What for?”

“To harness our magical cores of course.”

She looked up at him her face pinched. “Oh, gods.” She had seen a lot of fucked-up things in her life but this took the cake. None of the victims survived it seemed.

“It seems they have been successful.”

“What do you mean?”

He leaned over and his finger pointed out a particular paragraph. Hermione read it silently feeling her gut roll. They had somehow found a way to rip the magical core from a witch or wizard and transplant it into a muggle.

“This explains the muggle in Hogsmeade.”

“Doctor Vlad Krasnii.”

She turned the page. A photo of the muggle she had seen was staring at her. She noted his features quickly; A balding head, large ears and a thin beard on a weak chin. He was the lead scientist and this was obviously his office.

“I don’t understand how this is tied with the agency though.”

Snape shrugged and leaned down to study another report pinned to the wall. The door flung open and both Snape and Hermione spun. Vlad stood there in shock flanked by two other scientists in lab coats. The standoff lasted less than a blink of an eye. Vlad slammed the door shut and they were off running.

“Drozd chernyy! Drozd chernyy!”

Snape snarled and took off after them with Hermione quick on his heels. She stuffed the file into her little beaded bag and sprinted down the hall. Surprisingly Snape was faster than her and pulled ahead. Hermione stopped when she exited the building noting the three scientists had split up. Snape was chasing after two which included Krasnii and the other disappeared down a laneway. Glancing back at Snape she quickly ran after the lone scientist.

Severus meanwhile was gaining on the two who were obviously running for the disapparition point. He kicked his legs harder and tackled Krasnii to the ground. He yelped as he fell landing heavily on the asphalt. Severus looked up as the other scientist stopped and smirked at him before spinning and disapparating. Though the fool had obviously splinched himself as his left leg flopped on the ground in a spray of blood.

“Fuck!” he snarled as both him and Krasnii were sprayed in blood. Krasnii blinked in horror obviously never seeing a splinching before and the hesitation allowed Severus to truss Krasnii up in ropes. Now clear of the dampening field, his magic rose easily within him. Severus glanced at the leg, knowing that muggle wouldn’t last very long and was no longer a threat. He turned his attention to the muggle in his grasp, who let out a small chuckle. “You think you know wizard?”

“Shut up!”

“You're too late.

“Shut up,” he roared and the world went silent for a moment, the ground shook and a deafening sound explodes in his ears. He crouched instinctively, a searing ball of heat enveloping his back. When it passed, he turned his torso and saw a giant inferno engulf the warehouse. From beneath him, he can hear the scientist laughing and he turned back ready to ram a fist into his face when he started to convulse. Severus reared back in shock as his mouth started to foam violently and his eyes roll back into his head.

He was dead 30 seconds later. Severus snarled and stood up his eyes taking in the destruction behind him. Giant plumes of black smoke filled the air and Severus hoped Granger got out. He didn’t fancy telling Albus how Potters' best asset had been killed. He looked around, knowing he couldn't just leave a body and a quarter for someone else to find. There was a marina not far off. He pulled his wand up and transfigured both the body and the leg into giant dog bones and then concentrating vanished both of them into the middle of the marina. It wasn't perfect but there were enough animals that would probably enjoy them and limit their exposure.

A screeching sound had him lifting his wand in defense. A black SUV swerved around a corner and stopped in front of him. He leaned down to take in the driver. Granger grinned back at him.“Get in. The other muggle isn't far ahead.”

Severus sprinted to the other side, opened the door and got in. "Both of them are dead. One splinched himself the other had some kind of convulsion."

Granger nodded grimly and took off with an ear-piercing squeal of tires. "Cyanide pill. Crude but effective. Seat belt."

Severus rolled his eyes but clicked it in.

_Shit just got interesting._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's been a drop off of readers...hopefully, it'll pick up and people aren't just hating on my fic... thanks to all that have stuck with me though :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my freakout yesterday was completely unfounded. Thank you to all that re-assured me!
> 
> Onwards and upwards.
> 
> Don't own. No beta.

Severus hated to admit it but Granger was a good driver. He himself could drive though he detested it, preferring more magical means of transportation. They spun out onto the main road, Granger glancing around.

“He’s in a green Ford Fiesta.”

Severus had no idea what that was but kept his eyes peeled for a green car. Obviously, Granger had spotted it before him because she slammed her foot down and the car took off at speed. Severus grabbed onto the door and the dash as she weaved through the traffic thankful it wasn’t busier.

A white minivan honked loudly as they passed it swerving to miss a grey sports car. Severus saw a large bulging man screaming obscenities at them and shaking his fist in the air as they passed. Granger let out a snarl as she stepped on the breaks to stop them careening into the back of a lorry before spinning the steering wheel and accelerating again.

“Fuck Granger do you know how to drive?” Severus said his heart in his throat with the near-crash.

“Are you dead yet? No! So, shut up!”

Finally, the car was in sight and Severus wondered what Granger was going to do now when the car swerved and took an off road. Granger trailed it doggedly as the Fiesta entered what looked like a loading yard. The shipping containers, stacked three high whizzed past them.

“Slow down you’re going to kill us.”

Granger gritted her teeth. “I'm not letting her get away.”

She stepped on the pedal and with a jolt of speed clipped the car in front of them. From where Severus sat, he could see the driver panic and started flinging the steering wheel around to steady the vehicle. The car swerved violently left, then right, then left again before hitting the edge of a barrier and becoming air born. Severus leaned forward as the car spun and landed, skidding across the asphalt in an explosion of sparks.

Their own car was coming up too fast on the sliding one and Severus felt his stomach bottom out when Granger forcefully jerked the wheel to miss the green wreck. The world seemed to slow down. The car spun once, tires screaming in agony and Severus looked over to Granger. Her mouth was set, her brown eyes focused and her hair moving like she was underwater. In that moment Severus thought she looked quite beautiful. Then time returned to normal as they came to a stop with a jerky lunge of the car.

Granger already had her seat belt off and was out the car striding to the now smoking Fiesta. Severus scrambled, and as he jumped out of the car, he surveyed the surroundings. Thankfully no one was in sight but that didn’t mean they were safe. Someone was bound to alert the authorities regarding their high-speed chase. He jogged over to Granger just as she was pulling the scientist out of the car.

The woman was bleeding profusely from a head wound and she shrieked in pain when Granger tossed her near Severus' feet. Severus took a step back as Granger pulled a fist and punched her straight in the face. Despite knowing she was a trained killer, the calm and collected violence she meted out was a shock. Still, he kept his silence as the woman cried out in pain her eyes watering.

“Tell me how you're connected to the Agency.”

The woman coughed. “I'm just a scientist. Please,” she begged. Granger punched her again.

“Bullshit.”

“I don’t...” She struggled weakly in Grangers grasp She licked her lips and tried to glare up at the other woman. “You shouldn’t be the only ones to do magic.”

“You shouldn’t kill people and steal it.”

She shook her head and closed her eyes as more tears leaked down her face mingling with the blood. “We wanted to save the world.” Her breathing became labored and she lurched up momentarily her eyes on Grangers. “Tonight.” Her mouth moved oddly and then there was a pop.

“No!” Granger yelled as the woman started to convulse. She dropped the woman in disgust and started patting her down finding nothing. She then moved to the car crawling into the smoking wreckage and opening the glove box. Something fell out and Granger grabbed it.

She scrambled back out and held it up. Severus frowned. “A private invitation to the ballet.”

“And?”

She walked to him stepping over the now dead woman and pointed to the top right of the ticket. It was the insignia they had seen on all the documents back in the warehouse. Granger looked up at him with a grin.

“Fancy a date?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chappie I know. 
> 
> I've never written so much action into a fic before.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ.
> 
> PLEASE READ.
> 
> Short chapter but the next two are quite long...and there's some heavy flirting and possible smut...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!
> 
> DON'T OWN. NO BETA

Hermione was surprised at how accepting Snape was of her being a spook. She was surprised by him assisting her with her investigation. She was most surprised by his easy agreement to come to the ballet with her.

They had burned both cars and the body clearing the scene of all traces and then disapparated back to London. Snape had wanted to head home but Hermione wanted to scope out the theater and Severus stared at her for a moment before agreeing it was a good idea. She had insisted on heading to a hotel opposite the theatre and it was easy enough to confound the clerk to give them a room. Though due to it being Christmas almost all rooms were taken except the penthouse which agreed with Hermione.

Once inside the room, Hermione had gone to the window and stared down at the theater. The next night there was a private screening of Giselle which was what the tickets had been for. They would obviously be a black-tie event which meant tomorrow they would have to do some shopping. Tonight however they could rest.

“Snape?”

Severus turned from his perusal of the bathroom to stare at the witch. He struggled to keep his face from showing too much but he couldn’t help but take her in. They hadn't turned on the lights as the street had cast enough for them to see and it illuminated the young women's frame. Ever since he discovered her second life, he had become more and more attracted to her.

Normally he wouldn’t even consider a student but in reality, Granger was just acting. She wasn’t an innocent child to be protected, she was a spy just as he was. She had shown him in the last few days just how capable, strong and effective she was.

“Severus.”

She flinched. “What?”

“Call me Severus. I can’t see you as a student anymore. Not at the moment anyway.”

She smiled softly. “Hermione then.”

He nodded unsure what to say. Hermione thankfully filled the silence. “I was going to let you know I’m going to have a shower.”

He opened the door wider and went to sit on the large bed. Hermione took one last glance of the street before slipping into the bathroom and closing the door.

As she stood under the hot spray, she let out a sigh. It wasn’t the craziest day she had but it was up there. She had no idea what to expect from the theatre tomorrow night or if anything would come of it but with the warehouse now in ashes it was the only lead. She tipped her head back and thought about the man in the room.

Prior to him finding out about her she had just relegated him to just a teacher. She knew he was a spy which made him a tad more interesting then McGonagall or Flitwick but nothing to pique her interest too much. Now though her interest was definitely piqued and she felt her lower stomach clench.

She could understand why most of the students thought him ugly. To their small minds, his abrasive attitude stopped them from looking too closely. Hermione though was trained to look past the obvious and to Hermione's gaze he was attractive.

Hermione, being who she was, was not attracted to mediocrity. No, strength, power and a strong intellect got Hermione's blood pumping and Severus had those in spades. He wasn’t unattractive physically either. Tall and dark with piercing eyes, a strong jaw and full lips that seemed forever pursed in aggravation. His voice was sensuous, his hands skilled and beautiful and his presence...his presence was enticing.

Shaking her head, she turned off the shower and stepped out grabbing a towel. Now was not the time to be thinking of him in that manner. They had a mission and that should be her primary focus. She pulled out some pajamas shorts and a t-shirt from her bag, flung the towel around her shoulders for her hair and stepped out of the bathroom.

The sight made her smile. Severus had laid back on the bed, his hand on his stomach the other near his face, his features relaxed in sleep. Turning the light off she crept around the other side of the bed and carefully positioned herself before falling in the arms of Morpheus herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is interesting huh? I'll see you all tomorrow!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting again today cause I realize I might be super busy over the weekend and won't be able to post.
> 
> Heavy flirting. You've been warned.
> 
> Don't own. No beta.

Severus awoke quickly and took in his surroundings quietly before sitting up. It was still dark and Severus guessed he got a few hours. Lately, sleep was harder and harder to come by and almost always plagued with nightmares. He was surprised to find none had haunted him that night. He glanced next to him somewhat surprised to see Gran- no Hermione asleep.

His eyes roved over her face; the firm frown she normally wore cleared in her rest and her mouth slightly open as she slept. Her hair seemed to become more controlled as the days wore on and he realized that she must charm it to look like that. It was a clever tactic, one he used to keep everyone focuses on his less attractive features.

His eyes darted to her full lips and then down the long expanse of her neck. He swallowed as his gaze continued south, the tank doing nothing to hide the shape of her breasts or the points of her nipples. She didn’t have large breasts but they were full and high. He wondered what they would feel like in his hands, how they would taste if he were to lick her skin there. He continued downward taking in her small waist and the curve of her hips. He remembered the small scars that dotted her skin and wondered briefly if she would ever tell him of how she got them.

She was exceptionally interesting now. A spy who had fooled the great Albus Dumbledore and everyone else she had met including himself. She had always been intelligent though he had sneered at her incessant need to prove herself. Now he realized it was all an act, a mask she had donned so people didn’t question or look too hard.

She didn’t look like a student either and Severus frowned at that. He supposed she was good at blending in and letting others color their perceptions of her to suit them. If they thought her a student she looked like a student. Though looking at her now Severus could only see a woman. A beautiful deadly woman.

The small shorts were positively sinful and he wondered if she was cold though she was used to the freezing winters of Russia so perhaps not. One leg was pulled up bent at the knee and Severus noted strong thighs and long calves.

_All the better to grip you with._

He smirked at that silent thought, noting another scar traveling vertically down her left leg for two inches before staring at her delicate feet. He was surprised at that, taking in her little unadorned toes. He glanced back up at her face and then her breasts before sighing and standing up to use the bathroom. This kind of thinking would get him into nothing but trouble.

***

They had separated the next morning with the intent of finding appropriate clothes for that night. They had decided to head down the muggle route instead of transfiguring clothes wary of using magic just in case they had encountered more dampeners. While some lesser spells still worked, albeit weakly, within the field like warming and disillusionment charms it would be safest not to invite trouble into a possibly dangerous situation.

The woman in the car wreck was roughly the same height as her but she had straight black hair cut just below the shoulders and green eyes. No one would look too closely at the ID badge she had lifted and the tickets were obviously invite-only. Years spent infiltrating high-end parties proved that once they got in the door no one bothered them unless they created trouble. They just had to play the part and hope they weren’t found out.

She had found a black off the shoulder floor-length gown that had a deep revealing slit in the left leg. Another thing she had learned was that a beautiful enticing woman was always dismissed as being anything but eye candy. When she had tried in on, she briefly wondered what Severus would say and then dismissed the thought and went about finding some shoes. It was a good thing Severus was so tall as the thin black stilettos would have made her taller than most of the people she knew. She was glad Dragon had insisted she knew not only how to walk in high heels but run and defend herself. A thin rhinestone choker and a black clutch completed the look.

She brought some makeup after the hair appointment that saw her cut, color and straighten her hair and then made her way back to the hotel. She would easily use a glamour when she returned to Hogwarts and then brew a potion that would make her hair regrow to its original length. Both Severus and herself had no actual muggle money so they had to rely on confounding their targets which were easy enough considering the high-end boutique were usually empty.

When she slipped back into the room that afternoon, she was pleased to see Severus already there. His back turned to her as he was fishing through a takeout bag. She closed the door and dropped the bags on a seat.

“I've brought something to eat,” he said turning to her and stopping when his eyes landed on her hair. She refused to act like an unsure witchling, instead, focusing on the delicious smell that was wafting from the bag.

“Oh, thank the gods, I completely forgot about food. Being a woman sucks,” she said as she searched through the bag and pulled out a burger. “Thanks.”

Severus nodded tightly unsure of what to say as she unwrapped the paper and bit into it. His eyes narrowed sharply as she moaned, her hand wiping the juice that trailed down her chin. His pants became a little tighter and he turned, pulling his own bag open and grabbing a few chips. They ate in silence before cleaning up. Severus took the bathroom first knowing women tended to take longer getting ready.

Hermione almost swallowed her tongue when he exited, the white fluffy towel slung low on his hips. She had thought him to be whipcord thin with perhaps sinewy muscles but she realized just how much the robes hid. He was just shy of what she would call broad-shouldered but his chest was strong and toned. His stomach was taut with muscles that flexed with his breath and housed a well-defined Adonis belt as well as a small smattering of dark hair leading tantalizingly past the edge of the towel.

He hadn't noticed her blatant staring as he was currently drying his hair with another towel his eyes on the ground. Hermione quickly stood up and gathered her bags, carefully darting looks at the man noting his strong sturdy calves, and athletic feet. She summoned all her resolve up to step past him into the bathroom and let out a sigh when she closed the door.

It took her an hour to complete the look she was happy with. She glanced down at the ID badge that sat on the counter and then back at herself. She looked enough like the woman, Cassandra Wilson, to pass off and if not, they could gather enough magic to confound anyone who questioned them. She had hoped there were no dampening fields at work but she didn’t like her chance. Between her and Severus though she believed they could do an adequate job as long as they were one-on-one and without a large crowd to observe them.

She stepped out of the bathroom her hands fumbling with the clasp of her clutch before she looked up. They both just stared at the other. Severus was wearing a fitted black suit that emphasized the frame that she now knew was normally hidden underneath his teacher's robes superbly. He had unbuttoned the jacket and Hermione noted the black vest and black tie suited him very well.

Severus cleared his throat. “You look...lovely.”

She smiled. “Thank you. And you look dashing. We’ll make quite a couple.”

Severus raised an eyebrow and smirked at her before holding out his elbow for her to take. They had chosen to walk out the back entrance and make out that they had parked a car before walking together to the entrance of the theatre. A few other people dressed to the nines milled around the front entrance but both Granger and Severus ignored them and walked through the entrance.

An usher asked for their tickets which Hermione produced from her clutch and they were directed to a large room where more people were milling about. Hermione scanned the room for any recognizable faces but unfortunately found none. They made their way around the outskirts of the room when Severus stopped her unclasping her hand from his elbow. She frowned as he stepped back and then realized he was walking towards where a table was set up with champaign being handed out.

“And who might you be madam?”

Hermione spun and took in the man who was smiling predatorily down at her. He was a large man, with a rounded gut and a receding hairline. His skin was waxy, his eyes beady, and Hermione realized his features reminded her of Pettigrew though he was older. She smiled innocently back at him and offered her hand. He took it lightly though Hermione couldn’t help the grimy feeling his touch created. “Cassandra Wilson.”

“Wilson? As in Doctor Wilson?”

She smiled tightly hoping her cover hadn't been blown before the ballet had even started. They knew this was a risk though she was glad no one was paying attention to the two of them. She could easily wordlessly confound the man.

“You’re Krasnii lead scientist, aren't you?”

Hermione relaxed internally. “Yes! Vlad wishes he could have been here but he’s working.”

“It’s about time he let you out of the lab dear girl. Some of the things you are working on are truly remarkable.”

“You know of my work?”

“Oh, do forgive me. My name is Aleksei Nikonovich, I’m on the board that funds your research.”

Hermione's eyes lit up and she smiled widely. “Oh Mr. Nikonovich, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

He looked her up and down and leered. “Not as much as it is to meet you.”

Hermione fought to sneer instead she blushed prettily. A hand on her lower back had her looking up at Severus who held two flutes of champagne expertly in his fingers. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nikonovich scowl darkly at the man.

“Here you are my love,” Severus purred setting Hermione stomach burning. She smiled sweetly and took the flute from him, taking a small sip her eyes on the potion master.

“And you are?” Nikonovich snapped obviously angry they had been interrupted. Hermione's brain seemed to stop working and she realized belatedly they hadn't figured out what they were to each other. Severus though seemed to.

“I’m her husband; Thomas. It’s a pleasure to meet some of Cassie’s co-workers and employers.”

“Indeed,” Nikonovich growled. “You don’t work with us then?”

Hermione blinked at this exchanged surprised at just how easy Severus was settling into his cover. Severus' duties and missions where so different to her own she had thought he would act a step up from surly and leave her to do all the heavy lifting. She wouldn't have blamed him either as this was what she was trained for. Here though he was smiling and looking down at her as a husband would to a wife. Severus moved his hand from her back to her waist and pulled her closer.

“Actually, I work within the Agency.”

Hermione bit her tongue. That was risky. The pudgy man blinked as well and then nodded. “Ah, very good work you boys do there. Cassandra here couldn’t do her work without the intel you bring home.”

Hermione seethed internally at the clearly sexist overtones he was sprouting. Almost all of the agents in the Agency were female barring the handlers and a few desk jockeys. She wanted to reach out and pull his tongue out of his head. Instead, Hermione wound her arm around Severus' waist and looked lovingly up at him.

“It’s ever so dangerous what he does but he knows it's all for a good cause.”

Nikonovich nodded. “Too right!” 

Hermione affected an innocent expression and looked around the room. “Are there many board members here tonight?”

“Oh yes all of us. Watts is over there with Gates and Wentworth. And Rothberg is talking to that pretty little thing near the entrance. Lucky man.” Hermione searched out the men in question committing them to memory. “Oh, and Poldark and Grimsby are stuffing their faces with hors d'oeuvres.”

Nikonovich leaned in a bit too close for Hermione's liking his small beady eyes taking the opportunity to look down her cleavage. “You-know-who isn’t here of course, but he never comes to these little shindigs.” He stepped back and Hermione smiled and nodded though inwardly she was cursing the man for not giving her more. Severus had flexed his fingers on her hip when he heard you-know-who but when she looked up, he was smiling knowingly at the odious man.

A waiter announce it was time to be seated and Nikonovich raised his glass to the two of them. “Well that’s us then. Do enjoy the show. Tonight.”

Hermione nodded and allowed Severus to steer her into the theater. He leaned down and Hermione couldn’t stop the shiver as he whispered in her ear. “What's the plan?”

She smoothed his tie and smiled up at him. He bent down and to her surprise kissed her. Her whole body burned but then she realized he was giving her a subtle way to communicate to him in a crowded room. “Muggle trackers, bugs...I've got them in my bag,” she whispered against his lips, feeling a tad disappointed. He kissed her again moving his lips softly against her own before pulling back and calmly handing the ticket to the usher. Hermione, however, was desperately trying not to rub her thighs together to sooth the feeling his lips had ignited.

_Well, the second kiss wasn’t required._

Hermione's heart was beating fast in her chest as they were seated not far from where the board members sat in a private box. She arranged her skirts suitably and once again was surprised when Severus took her hand and laced their fingers together.

_He really was good at this._

The other people in the box glanced at their conjoined hands and intimate positions before focusing on the stage. Hermione smiled. People, in general, were uncomfortable with public displays of affection and so if done correctly people wouldn’t be looking too closely at the couple.

The ballet began and Hermione could appreciate not only the seats but the power of the dancers. She had seen this particular one a few times when she was a little girl in Russia and so spent most of the time surreptitious watching the other's she had seen in the room. Aside from the board members, most looked too excited to be there.

_This must be a social event then._

Halfway through Severus turned in his seat and raised their conjoined hand to his lips. To anyone else, it would look like he was staring at her but from Hermione's view, he was staring at the board members. She struggled not to moan when his lips parts slightly and his tongue darted out to subtly licked the back of her hand.

_What was the man trying to do? Incinerate her from within?_

She kept her eyes on the stage intent on not embarrassing herself when he suddenly stood and released her hand. She looked up at him in concern but he bent down, his fingers moving her hair from her shoulder and leaned in until his lips touched her ear.

“Nikonovich is leaving. I’m going to follow him.”

She nodded her head slightly and then jolted when she felt his tongue lap sensually at the skin behind her ear. He then stood and strode out of their boxed seat. The woman sitting on the other side of Severus leaned over.

“He’s a tasty bit of snack, isn't he?” she said with a wolfish grin and Hermione felt an unknown emotion rise within her.

“He is _my_ husband and I’ll thank you not ogle him,” she snapped, satisfied when the woman stuttered an apology and Hermione went back to watching the board member with one eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Hades...
> 
> I mean...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Such a busy weekend!!! I have some time at the moment so...
> 
> WARNING: SMUT SMUT SMUT!
> 
> Don't like it don't read.

After five minutes Hermione began to worry and after ten, she took once last look at the board who seemed all entranced with the ballet that she stood up and strode from the seats. She looked around the large hall chewing on her lip in indecision. She was about to go to the Entrance Hall when he came striding down from the opposite direction, his eyes firmly focused on her.

He didn’t slow down as he came upon her instead burying his right hand on her curls and his left going to her waist and pushing her back against the wall. She let out a gasp and he took that opening and descended on her lips like a man possessed. She moaned when his tongue touched hers, her hands coming to his waist and holding her to him.

_Good Gods, the man could kiss._

“Thomas?”

They pulled apart and Severus affected a caught-out look grinning sheepishly at Nikonovich.

“I know she's a delicious looking woman but do control yourself.”

Hermione blushed and this time she wasn’t acting. “I apologies Mr-”

“I think I might take my wife home, Alexksi. She's feeling a tad under the weather. Burning up you see.”

Nikonovich grinned and licked his lips. “Very well then. We hope to see you at the next gathering.”

Severus bowed his head and watched as Nikonovich walked back into his booth. Severus then steered the both of them out into the entrance hall.

“What the fuck Severus?” Hermione hissed as he opened the door for her. A cold blast of wind hit them and Severus pulled off his coat and hung it on her shoulders.

“There was no dampening field,” he said lowly bringing her body close to his and started walking the route they had agreed upon back to the hotel. “I entered his mind and got everything.”

She looked up at him in shock having completely forgotten he was skilled in legilimency but he continued on. “They infiltrated the Agency twelve years ago intent on just getting the files of the agents in play. However, when they discovered the Blackbird program their plans became more sinister.”

“Twelve?” She hissed and Severus nodded. Hermione cursed inwardly as they crossed the street. _Their_ intel had been eight years give or take. How much had they seen and taken? How had they gotten away with it for so long?

They had made it to the back entrance of the hotel and made their way to the elevators. Once alone Hermione thought he would step back but if anything, he pulled her tighter to him. She swallowed and tried to focus on his words.

“You can imagine how a muggle information agency would have felt discovering heir were magical agents in play. They wanted to even the field and so they began their...experiments. They captured the Blackbirds one by one and tried to discover the origin of their magic. They also found a way to track other witches and wizards down but they were all from poor areas on the Continent. Hardly missed and no suspicion raised within our community sadly. It was only recently they had finally achieved a workable transplant.”

“Fuck. I'll need to report this to Dragon.”

Severus nodded and the elevator dinged, opening up on their floor. They walked in silence to their room and Severus opened it allowing Hermione to enter. She spun ready to ask for proper detailing of what happened when he left her but the words never left her mouth. Severus grabbed her much the same way as he did in the theatre and pushed her against the door.

His lips on hers, she opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to caress her own. His hands pulled her body to his and she felt her thigh lift the slit on her dress falling back. Severus groaned his hand catching her beneath her knee and squeezing.

She let out a stuttered cry as his hand slowly climbed up her leg before squeezing her arse while his left hand was on her hip. His lips had descended to her neck nipping at the skin and lighting Hermione's insides on fire.

“Please,” she whispered unsure of what she was actually begging for. Severus seemed to know because he picked her up wrapping her legs around his frame and ground into her core.

“Oh fuck,” she managed as her hands when to his hair. He spun them around and walked back to the bed, tossing her down. She landed with a bounce and looked up at him as he pulled his tie off and worked his vest and shirt off. His dark eyes never left hers and she found herself panting with need. He hadn't even really touched her yet and already she was wet, her underwear noticeably damp beneath her dress. His shirt removed, Hermione's eyes trailed down the hard plane of his body and she inhaled sharply when he stalked up her own.

A wave of his fingers and her dressed disappeared leaving her in just her knickers and heels. The pupils in his eyes blew out with lust as he took in her bouncing breasts and he descended on them hungrily. She arched her back as he pulled a nipple into his mouth and worried it with his tongue. His other hand cupped her free breast his fingers tweaking and pulling at the nipple. She writhed underneath him her body bowing as her core tightened.

_Could someone cum just from nipple play?_

She answered her own question minutes later when his teeth nipped and pulled at the nipple, the same time as his fingers twisting the other. Her eyes squeezed shut against the feeling that flooded her body and she was desperately gasping.

He was already moving down her body when she had enough brainpower to think and she blinked when he pulled off her knickers his hands caressing her still heel feet. His hand curved around her ankle and he stared down at her taking in her twitching body.

“Delicious.”

She gasped as he pushed her legs over his shoulders and settled himself between the junction of her thighs. The first swipe of his tongue left her keening. The second had her choking and clenching the bedsheets. He pulled back and Hermione peeked down at him through her lashes. He licked his lips as his fingers came up and stoked carefully missing where she needed him most.

“Please,” she tried again her voice husky and thick. Severus eyes cut to her and panted as he smirked before lowering his lips onto her. She couldn’t help it; her hips bucked wildly as he began his oral assault. His tongue flicked quickly against her clit before pushing deep into her, her eyes rolling back into her head. A few thrusts and he returned to her clit again and Hermione couldn’t decide what she enjoyed most.

That thought flew from her mind when his fingers entered her, curling deep inside and making lewd squelching sounds as he worked her. His head came up again watching her knowing she was just about to break.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck. Oh fuck,” she chanted as her body tightened and her mind went blank as her climax broke upon her like a tsunami. She felt herself gush into his hands but couldn’t bring herself to care as her whole body twitched. Just as she started to relax his head dropped down and she shrieked as his mouth latched onto her bundle of nerves. Her hands went to his head ready to push him away from her too sensitive to survive such an assault but he drew her clit in with his teeth and worried it gently and her whole body buckled under another intense climax.

“Are you back with me?”

Severus’s deep voice made her blink up at the ceiling and she realized she must have blacked out momentarily. He was still licking her though gently intentionally missing her throbbing clit. His eyes firmly on her face and she swallowed heavily and nodded. He laid one more kiss on her clit before climbing up her body and settling in the cradle of her thighs.

She felt him, long and thick and heavy and she silently wrapped her arms around his frame and pulled him in. The taste of herself on his lips sent a thrill through her as he kissed her almost languidly. He moved his hips back and positioned himself at her entrance. A quick silent confirmation and he pushed steadily into her.

She hadn’t seen him properly to get an idea of his size or girth but from the feel of him he was delightfully thick and perfectly sized. She let out a satisfied sigh when he bottomed out and he smirked down at her before pulling out. His next thrust hit her and she gasped before he took her lips again. His hand plucked at a nipple as his thrusts increased and she tore her mouth away to mewl.

He pulled himself from his elbows to his hands and bent his back to forcibly take her harder and harder. His mouth was twisted in a snarl as he glanced from her bouncing chest to her mouth to her eyes. She didn’t think she had another climax in her so she squeezed her muscle and watched as he stuttered in his thrusts and then she moaned as she felt him release in her.

He let out a few grunts as he slowed his thrusts, before snarling as he collapsed on her. She could feel his heart beating in his chest and he took her ear lobe between his teeth, suckling on it.

“Fuck,” he murmured in her ear and she tightened around him again. “Fuck, Hermione.”

She gasped at her name on his tongue and settled back into the mattress. Her hands wound around his frame and she drew silly pictures on his back with her fingers. She’s never had an experience like that before. Not that she had many but merlin he had known exactly how to play her body.

She had thought once recovered he would pull out and his old persona would return a tad but once again, she was surprised when his fingers traced her lips and his lips suckled her neck. She felt him harden again within her and he pulled back with a wry grin which she felt unnaturally attracted to.

“Once more unto the breach?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Hades
> 
> Merciful Merlin
> 
> By all the Gods!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all,
> 
> No beta, don't own.

He fucked her twice more that night once fast and brutal pulling her onto all fours and taking her from behind and the next was a long drawn out, intent on wringing every bit of pleasure from her body. They both knew that realistically this would be a one-time deal. In a weeks' time, she would have to return to Hogwarts her know-it-all persona firmly in place and him the greasy bat of the dungeons.

The next morning saw Severus awake early. He glanced at the witch still deep in slumber beside him and felt his heart twang. Last night had exceeded his expectations in more ways than one and he knew he would be revisiting that memory many times in his future. Whatever was left of his future that is. He sighed and stood stretching quickly before pulling on his trousers and making his way to the toilet for a morning piss.

Once done he finished getting dressed and tried waking Hermione only for her to snuffle and bury herself back in the covers.

_I suppose I did work her rather hard last night._

He left a brief note and then went out to search for sustenance. He returned to find Hermione on a muggle mobile phone, dressed and staring out the window. He silently handed her a coffee to which she smiled gratefully and set about unloading the bags on the small table.

He listened with half an ear as Hermione rattled off names to whom he supposed was Dragon and then promising to send through her report at the end of the day. She closed the phone with a snap and descended on the bacon butty with a growl.

“Worked up an appetite have you?” he said sipping his own coffee. He smirked when she stopped mid-chew, pleased to see her cheeks blush a tad. She managed a smile around her full mouth and continued eating.

Once full they began the arduous work of dismantling everything that happened last night and what he had uncovered. She was ruthless with her questions examining every point with unbending commitment. He now understood that while she was an exceptional spook it was her mind and attention to detail that had seen her survive.

They were so alike in many ways. They could be great together had their missions not gotten in the way. He had never considered a relationship before with the exception of Lily Evans but sitting here with Hermione after a night of amazing sex he considered the possibility.

Though it was impossible at that moment in time. Too many factors saw to that. Perhaps if they both survived...

Regardless by the end of the day, they were finished and together they walked down an unused lane each preparing for the goodbye. Hermione was headed to Finland to touch base with Dragon and get new directives on how to proceed. Severus was to return to Hogwarts ready to curry favor from both Albus and the Dark Lord.

He looked down at her surprised to see her unsure. He cupped her cheek pleased when she leaned into it and leaned down to kiss her. He pulled back too soon, his thumb stroking her soft skin and watched as she licked her lips.

“We have missions.”

Her face grew firm as her resolve hardened within her and she nodded. “We have missions.”

He stepped back and as one they disapparated to different locations.

***

Raseborg was a charming little town with rocky shores and old somewhat colorful buildings. It was essentially a summer town which Hermione was glad of now it was the middle of winter and there was hardly anyone about to take notice of her. She traveled through the grove of Ramsholmen enjoying the crispness of the air and the silence the forest park. Her body still ached deliciously from last night's activities and she smiled to herself as she crossed a small white bridge. The little stream hadn't frozen over yet though it was close to doing so.

She was meeting Dragon on this exact path though they made no point where. She knew he would find her though, as he was an expert tracker having taught her for years. The snow had stopped allowing Hermione to enjoy her surroundings though she kept her guard up.

It wasn’t long before she recognized his familiar whistling tune and the great bear of a man came strolling around the bend.

“Malen’kiy!”

He affected a surprised tone that Hermione grinned at. “Papa!”

It wasn't like she actually thought of him as her father it was just easier to pretend so in public they wouldn’t raise any suspicions where they could be easily watched or overheard. He was her trainer, her handler, her healer and confident. She supposed in some strange way he was also her family.

“Come lets us walk these fine trails.”

She fell into step with him and he nodded at her. A quick _homeo revelio_ told them they were alone and she pulled her report from her beaded bag. He perused it with interest.

“There isn't anything here about who gave us up, this you-know-who.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “Severus had said that he didn’t make personal appearances preferring to work through phones and emails so the board members were unaware of his identity. They just referred to him as you-know-who.”

"Strange. Like your Voldemort.”

“I thought so too but I think it's merely a coincidence.”

They continued on talking lowly about the case. Hermione left out the heavy flirting and unforgettable night with Severus though she was sure that Dragon somehow knew about it. Or at least guessed. If he did though he didn't say anything.

Their conversation turned to her new objective going forth. She was to continue her original mission of keeping Harry Potter safe but to keep an eye out for any strange things that should pop up. Dragon told her he would put informants on the board members' tails to gather any other information they could before possibly assassinating them. Hermione nodded hoping that they would find the identity of the mysterious person but that was out of her hands now. She was a soldier and she had orders. Everything else wasn’t her business.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearing the end of this fic. I hope you've enjoyed it!
> 
> Don't own. No beta

Hermione returned to Hogwarts catching up with Ginny and Harry and ignoring Ronald. Her mind fully on her mission though she was annoyed by Harry's constant need to place blame on Malfoys shoulders. Sure, the little shit was up to something but Harry needed a lesson in how to be quiet and subtle. Almost everyone in the Gryffindor tower had heard him rant about the blond pureblood and it was doing Hermione's head in to try and curb his loud idiotic tendencies.

She had relegated any thought of Severus into the furthest reaches of her mind. It was easy enough to separate the man that had fucked her into the mattress of that hotel with the snarly surly potions master. Though some nights she lay in her bed with the curtains closed and thought back to that night and came on her fingers his name tightly whispered into her pillows. It wasn't as good as the real thing but it kept her from thinking too much on it. She was still surprised at how well they worked together both on the case and in bed. Perhaps in the future, they could work another case.

The day Ron had been poisoned was awful having just started her period and thoroughly annoyed with everyone especially the stupid yammering cow known as Lavender Brown. She had been so upset that when Lavender had screeched at her for sitting with Ron in the hospital wing ignoring the fact there were several professors and Harry and Ginny in the room, she had snapped.

“Well I happen to be his...” she faltered not knowing what she was actually going to say. “Friend,” she managed weakly sitting down and feeling foolish. To make matters worse Snape was there staring at her with an amused glint in his eye. She huffed and turned her back on him intent at ignoring the man. He obviously knew she wasn't interested in the red-headed twit and was just reacting to Lavender's shrieking but that didn't help her embarrassment.

Slughorn started acting oddly after he had given Harry the untampered with memory and one morning, she saw him walking the ground with the man he hadn't introduced her to at his Christmas party. She watched them for as long as she could before having to dash to Charms. It could have been something or nothing at all but it did warrant extra surveillance.

A few days before the Ravenclaw match Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall chewing a croissant when a Hufflepuff walked past her whispering not too subtly to her friend.

“I’m going to fuck his brain out. **_TONIGHT_**!’ she said with an emphasis giggling hard at her friend's shocked gasp. Hermione rolled her eyes and put down the croissant not at all hungry anymore. Ron smirked a bit before covering his mouth and rushing to throw up.

Hermione frowned as something niggled strangely in her brain. Something the Hufflepuff said. She tensed when she realized her brain methodically going through her memories.

_Fuck I'm stupid. So very stupid._

_Gods how had I missed it!_

She stood up mumbling some excurse to Harry about a mistake she made on her Arithmancy essay and rushed off.

***

Severus watched as Potter rushed out of detention intent to find out whether his House had won or lost the cup. He knew it was petty and vindictive but he had to derive pleasure from somewhere. Especially now since Hermione and himself had returned to the respected roles.

He stood up intent on doing his rounds before shutting himself in his quarters and having a wank thinking about Hermione's tits.

He came across the woman in question an hour later. She stuttered to a halt and then quickly rushed up to him.

“Severus, I need to find Slughorn. Do you know where he is?”

Severus contemplated her question. There was no one about but that didn’t make her behavior any less reckless. He frowned. “He should be in his office.”

“I checked there,” she muttered and Severus was surprised by the sense of urgency in her voice.

“He could be in the Slytherin dorm rooms. I will check.”

He spun on his heel and started down the hall pleased when Hermione caught up with him. “Mind explaining-”

He silenced himself as they turned the corner and saw Slughorn talking to Astoria Greengrass outside of the potion's classroom. He was about to announce his presence when he saw a shadow flicker behind Slughorn indicating someone was in the room. Hermione stood around the corner watching Severus carefully once he stopped her with a slice of his hand. He waved her up and she peeked around his robes to see Slughorn usher a blonde student into the room. He glanced up and down the corridor before closing the door quietly. Severus waited for a beat before turning to Hermione a frown marring his features,

“That was Astoria Greengrass.”

“The Slytherin fourth year? Bit late for questions don’t you think?”

Severus nodded, pulled his wand from his sheath and crept forward. “I saw shadows in the room as well. Too suspicious not to investigate.”

He motioned for Hermione to go to the real door and he crept to the hidden one most of the professors had in their classrooms. He glanced at Hermione pleased to see her armed and awaiting his instruction and with a nod of his head, she entered the room. He disillusioned himself and slipped in seconds later.

Slughorn was still talking to Greengrass as he pottered around his desk and looked up when Hermione entered the room.

“Ah Miss Granger, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”

Greengrass sneered at the muggle-born before taking a seat at the front desk. She must be here for detention then Severus thought as he crept closer to the front of the room. Strange as the girl was usually much better behaved than her sister. A movement snapped his attention and he let a stinging hex fly before he even registered.

The man who had been hiding in the shadows lets out a squawk before falling flat on his face. The crack of his nose was barely heard as Severus ducked a fist that came from nowhere.

“Put up the dampening field,” someone bellowed and Severus watched as the person in front of him became visible letting fly a torrent of punches aimed to knock him out. Severus growled as he ducked and weaved his way around only catching a few weak hits to the jaw. He wasn’t as fast or as skilled as Hermione when it came to hand to hand combat but he could hold his own. From the corner of his eye, he saw Greengrass cowering behind her desk and Slughorn gaping stupidly as Hermione was fighting three attackers at once.

The layout of the classroom proved to be a blessing as she ducked and spun a roundhouse kick to the first attacker's head. He went down already unconscious before his head hit the stones with a loud crack. Hermione didn’t think he would be getting up any time soon and turned her attention on the other two. Severus was seemingly holding his own and Greengrass was shrinking further into the shadows of her desk.

The second attacker was a bit bigger built and advanced on Hermione quickly. She blocked his kick and then the three other snaps aimed at her head before she caught a kick square in the stomach. She stumbled back glad she hadn't been winded though it hurt like a bitch. She took a breath and then moved forward. They traded blow for blow; the two males crowding the aisle and trying to land a hit. Hermione managed to throat paunch the one who kicked her and he stumbled back clutching his throat and gasping painfully.

He blocked a hook with his arm and she leaned back delivering a quick jab and then a lower kick to the shins. He ducked the jab however wasn't fast enough for the kick and let out a pained cry catching his hip on the desk as he moved away from her. The space allowed Hermione to kick him in the side and the man flinched, his body instinctually spinning closer to her. She grabbed the man's head, her hands twisting harshly in his hair and slammed it hard on the table. She glanced over at Severus to see him standing over the limp form of his own attacker.

A shriek echoes the room and Hermione spins to see the man she had spied at Slughorns party holding a large serrated knife to Greengrass's neck. Hermione frowns as she also spots a wand in his other hands.

“Very clever,” he muttered grinning at the occupants in the room. He pointed the wand at Slughorn who cowered and then appeared to faint. “Fantastic bit of work these wands aren't they?”

“You're a muggle,” Severus growled stepping closer before halting as the man pushed the knife deeper into Greengrass's neck. The girl whimpered.

“Correction I was a muggle. Now I have magic.”

“Which you stole,” Hermione snapped. The man tsked loudly.

“Finders keepers,” he sang and then pointed the wand at Severus. “Drop your wands.”

Severus' mouth thinned. “Why? You've put up a dampening filed anyway, they're essentially useless.”

“I turned it off stupid so I can stun old Sluggy over there.”

Hermione glanced at Severus knowing for a fact he didn’t actually stun the professor but another whimper from the girl had them both gritting their teeth and tossing their wands away from them.

“Good, good.”

“Who are you?” Severus asked hoping to stall for enough time for them to figure out a suitable plan.

“Well old Sluggy knew me as Peter Wellington a famous brewer of elf wine but you Starling you might know me as-"

“The Knight,” Hermione growled and Severus looked over at her in surprise. The Knight laughed.

“So you figured out our little toast to each other. You always were a clever little thing. Much smarter than my Sparrow.”

“You got Sparrow killed with your ineptness,” Hermione snarled. The Knights face twisted with anger and he shook his wand at Hermione.

“_I_ never should have been relegated to training little girls._ I_ was supposed to be a field agent._ I_ should have been gifted with those powers.”

Hermione scoffed. “We were born with them you tosspot.”

“You didn’t deserve them. None of you do.” He shook his head his features starting to bubble and Severus cursed the wizard who invented poly juice potion. His hands began to spasm and thankfully Greengrass used the opportunity to wiggle out of his grasp. Hermione launched her self at the man while Severus summoned his wand only to go down twitching. Every muscle contracted and he struggled against the floor. Booted feet kicked him over and he glared up at the man he thought he had knocked out. He smirked as he held up what looked like a gun before crouching down.

“This is a taser. It's a muggle invention. It sends 50,000 volts of electricity into your system effectively making you vulnerable.”

In the other hand was a wand. Severus watched it warily his jaw still clenching and his body doing nothing but jerk unnaturally in pain. It wasn’t as bad as a _crucio_ but near enough.

“Now whats the spell again. Oh, that’s right._ Incarerous.”_

To Severus's disappoitnmetn he did the wand movement well enough and thick ropes bound him tightly. Only then did he pull his finger off the trigger and was no longer subject to being shocked. Severus snarled and twisted trying to free himself but the ropes only tightened around his frame. A sudden whoosh and Severus looked up to see his attacker's eyes roll up in his head and he collapsed. Behind him stood Greengrass holding a small pewter cauldron.

“Well done Miss Greengrass.”

“Ah-uh-uh.”

Greengrass glanced over her shoulder, dropped the cauldron and scurried backward in fear. Severus managed to get to his knees and his gut dropped at the sight that greeted him. The Knight had fully reverted back to his original form. He was a tall man with a square face and cold eyes. His hair was a dark shaggy brown mop that flopped lazily over his brown and his skin had an uneven doughy look to it. He was bleeding from a cut near his mouth and one of his eyes was starting to swell. Severus' eyes darted to Hermione's firmly trapped in the larger mans' hold. She winced as the knife at her throat dug into her skin.

_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you pick up the clues I laid in the earlier chapters?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it...the end!
> 
> There is an epilogue though...
> 
> No beta, don't own.

The knight bellowed something in Russian and to Severus' disappointment, two of the five men managed to pick themselves up, shaking their heads and stumbling a bit before making their way to the front of the room. Granger glanced at them her eyes narrowing in anger and her lips thinning. She glanced at Severus and then at Greengrass who was glancing around the room nervously. The ropes that bound him held fast even as he tried to get his magic to co-operate.

“Astoria!”

Severus whipped around just in time to see Greengrass fling off her robe with one hand while planting her other on the desk and flipping her whole body across the bench. She kicked one of the men in the temple and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. Standing up she reached behind her and pulled a gun out, aimed it at the other assailant and fired three shots while advancing on where Granger was held captive. The man jerked as the bullets hit his body and fell to the ground. Severus stared in shock as the girl turned her gun on Knight.

_What the devil?_

_Where did she get a gun?_

“You know how this ends Knight,” she said with a distinct Russian accent. Severus cocked his head in confusion. The Greengrass were distinctly British with French relations. His eyes cut to Grangers noticing she was smirking at Astoria. The expression looked odd on her.

“Do I little one?” the handler snarled.

“Do you honestly think she's the only operative here?” Granger chuckled wetly. Knight seemed to tense at her words tightening his hold on Granger making her wince. His eyes around the room as if they would suddenly appear from the shadows. He shook his head and pulled Granger back making her hiss in pain.

“No. You are the only ones here. I have killed all the others.”

Astoria smirked. “Da...In our division.”

Knight frowned. “Division? The Blackbirds were the only operatives activated.”

Astoria smiled. “Niet. Our division was Blackbirds 12. Were you stupid enough to believe that was the number of girls recruited?”

“No. No. They would have told me.”

Granger coughed and Severus watched as blood sprayed out of her mouth with the movement. No one seemed to notice except Severus who swallowed painfully and tried to loosen the ropes. Granger spat and grimaced. “You?! You're just a lowly training officer. They didn’t even allow you field time.”

Severus stared at her in concern. Her skin was waxy and pale and she was struggling to draw breath. He knew what was wrong with her. She had internal bleeding. If he didn’t help her now she would die. He struggled to free himself but was awarded with another deep seize of his muscles that made him groan in pain. His body, so used to crucio followed the same path as when he was tortured by the Dark Lord. He collapsed back to the floor twitching and looked up to find Grangers' eyes on his. She shook her head and widened her eyes.

_A spy knew._

A spy knew when they understood their time was up. Granger knew. She was going to complete her mission even if it cost her her life. There was sadness in her eyes as she tried to convey something to him. He didn’t want to look at her. Not when she was preparing to die. He couldn’t, however, look away, his eyes trained on her brown ones. She quirked her lips and softened her eyes momentarily before her whole face hardened. “Do it Astoria.”

_No, don't. There must be another way._

The press of the knife cut across her skin and The Knight shifted so Hermione was directly in front of him. He glanced nervously at the gun and then at Astoria. “Don’t. I'll kill her.”

Astoria cocked her head seemingly contemplating her next move. “It seems that my placement family is correct. Squibs are useless. Goodbye Knight.”

A single shot rang out and Knights' head flung back from the force of the blow. Severus felt everything move in slow motion. The blood sprayed from the shot right between the eyes arced through the air almost gracefully. At the same time, the knife pulled through Granger's neck and Severus winced as he heard the gurgling cry as she fell backward.

“Greengrass release me!”

He was too focused, too worried about Granger to even contemplate the fact Astoria Greengrass was a fellow Blackbird. The young witch's wand whipped out and with a twist, the coils slithered away from Severus form and he scrambled over to where Granger lay still. His hand cupped her cheek as he summoned his own wand and started murmuring the healing spell. It was refusing to heal.

_Fuck! Fuck!_

“Greengrass get Poppy now!”

She didn’t move just stared down at the scene in front of her with a blank face. “Niet.”

Severus let out a sob as he looked down at her form. Her neck was an ugly open wound the blood positively drenching her clothes and pooling on the cobbled floor. Her chest didn’t move as brown eyes stared vacantly out at nothing and Severus bowed his head unsure of how to feel.

The door flung open and Severus looked up briefly to see Professor Trelawney calmly walked into the room. With a wave of her wand, she shut the door again and warded it as she strode confidently down the classroom aisle.

“Greengrass, step away.”

Severus looked up to snarl at the silly old bint when he did a double-take at her appearance.

“Severus move away please.”

“Sybil? What...Grangers dead. Get Albus.”

“Move away, you impotent moron,” she snapped. Severus stood up and blinked down at the witch. Gone were the shawls, large glasses, and strange head attire. In their place; a black muggle suit and a black robe draped over her shoulders. Her hair was cut short and swept back out of her face. She smiled up at him.

“Hello, Severus.”

“Sybil?”

“Perhaps you know me as the Director?”

“Director? Granger...your Granger’s...”

“...Director yes do keep up.”

“So, you know-”

“About the muggles plan to rip magical cores for their own gain? Of course.”

His brain stuttered as he tried to push this new reality in with what he had thought to be true. “But I’ve known you all my life.”

“You must understand Severus that this war has been going on longer then you’ve been alive. My own great grandmother saw it and set the chains of events in motion. I had a part to play as did you.”

“So, you allowed children to become fighters and killers!” Severus seethed pointing down at Granger's cooling body. Syble let out a chuckle.

“You turn your ire on me when the old man you blindly follow does the same? Tsk tsk, Severus hypocrisy does not look good on you.”

“Albus doesn’t make little girls into killers.”

Sybill waved off his anger as if it was inconsequential. “We’re all killers Severus. Hermione could walk away whenever she wanted.”

“Could she though?”

“We made sure the children chosen had unique abilities. Those who didn’t make the cut were wiped and placed in loving homes. All of this was a choice.”

“A child doesn't know what she was choosing.”

“On the contrary, Severus Hermione has an eidetic memory and an IQ of 181. She would have never had a normal childhood and she probably would have suffered greatly for it. We gave her a choice. We gave her the opportunity to fulfill her potential.”

“And now she's dead.”

Trelawny smiled. “Is she though?” She nodded back down at the body and Severus watched as Hermione features bubbled and morphed into the recognizable features of The Dragon.

“It was a shame however The Dragon knew the risks and in some ways was very protective of his charge.”

Severus swallowed, trying desperately to reign in the hope that was blooming in his chest. “Where's Granger?”

“She's right here of course.”

Astoria took a step forward and smiled. “Hello, Severus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all aren't that confused. It's pretty twisty. There's explanations coming up just in case.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are at the end! 
> 
> Don't own, no beta!

Hermione watched as they pulled Severus Snape's body from the Shrieking Shack.

“He loved my mum, Hermione.”

Hermione struggled not to roll her eyes. The boy was as daft as they could come, brave but daft. She patted his shoulder affecting what she thought was an empathetic face. Obviously, she had failed.

“You all right Hermione?”

“What? Oh yes...just sad he had to die.”

“Is it though?”

Both Harry and Hermione turned to find Ron walking upon them his mouth full and both hands holding sandwiches. She fought to snap at the little shit who had grabbed her and kissed her after the destruction of the Horcrux and failed.

“Ron! How dare you?” she hissed. He shrugged and swallowed what was in his mouth.

“Who cares? He was a greasy mean git and no one would miss him. Not really.”

Hermione couldn’t say what she wanted to say. That she would miss him. After they had discovered the imposters Director Blackbird had told both Severus and Hermione to return as if nothing had happened. To Hermione's disappointment that had meant he was just as snarly, just as closed off as he was before. He had acted like they hadn't foiled an international magical core theft syndicate or had been intimately involved.

She supposed she could understand. Both of them were spies with their own missions that needed to be completed and couldn’t afford any distractions. But it still hurt. She was also dealing with the death of her handler, the one person she could really rely on. She was now alone in the world. Not even her sister agents survived thanks to The Knight. The Blackbird program was now officially closed although the Director had told her the Agency was always in need of good spooks and Starling had a place to continue her career in espionage.

She smiled at that. Director Blackbird may have been cold and calculating but she always gave her girls a choice. For Starling, there was only one that suited her best. She was a spook through and through. She was good at it, enjoyed it and couldn’t imagine herself as anything but. Her mind traveled back as she thought on the one and only case she had with Severus Snape.

After realizing that The Knight was behind it all Hermione had quickly ascended to the Directors office and together they worked out a plan. The Dragon had been called in and it was his idea to use the polyjuice potion. Starling had protested but the Director had cut her off. She was the last Blackbird and their best agent, there was no need to invite more trouble than actually required. She still insisted on helping and the Director produced the hair of Astoria Greengrass. Apparently, the Knight had been interested in the young slytherin as she looked a lot like Pidge. Pidge had been a Blackbird and though older then Starling was small in stature and looks. She had only recently been wiped having grown tired of the spook life.

The Director had insured that the real Astoria had not been in any danger assigning her own personal house elf to watch over her. That didn’t stop them from utilizing her for their own means. A quick confundus and Astoria had spoken out of turn to Professor Trelawny who assigned her detention with her own Head of House. All Starling had to do was meet her on her way to Slughorns classroom, put her to sleep and take her place after carefully hiding her. The Director knew where she was and sent her on her way just before she had arrived.

The Dragon had been late in their final meet up and after he had taken the polyjuice potion had become disorientated in the large castle despite given instructions. Thankfully he had come across Severus and used him to his benefit as well, knowing the spy could be vital in the upcoming situation.

The Knight had begun funneling out information to the Cell as they were now known as when he had been once again denied for active duty. Angered by the lack of respect he thought he was due and the fact the witches in the program outpaced him at every turn he started looking for a way to use their abilities to for his gain. The board had been approached when the Knight was making significant headway with their scientific experiments and the rest is history.

Director Blackbird had told her that they had managed to round up every employee that worked within the Cell and either modified their memories or had them killed depending on certain circumstances. Starling didn't question it as it wasn't her place. Hermione Granger may have been a heart-on-her-sleeve type of girl but Starling was not.

Hermione looked over the grounds taking in the damage the war had wrought on the castle and sighed. She doubted she would be required to come back here but she did need to see Director Blackbird about how to effectively end her mission. Deep cover meant that she would have to slowly back away from this life so no one became suspicious. Of course, the only people that knew she was a spook besides the Director were now dead. Regardless there were protocols to follow.

With that thought, she waved the boys off citing she was tired and needed rest and started up to the castle. Both wizards waved her off, Ron still stuffing his mouth and talking to Harry who looked a bit disgusted by seeing him masticate his food. Hermione shook her head. Whoever married that oaf was welcome to him.

She made her way up the tower remembering when she had dramatically dropped divination. It was under the order of the Director herself stating she was under too much pressure with the time turner to keep her cover in place. She had agreed of course knowing better then to question her. Not only that the Director had started the program overseeing the implementation of training and missions. It was too ingrained in Starlings psyche not to respect the witch and even though she was adept at acting and maintain her cover Director Blackbird thought the risk was too great.

She stepped up through into her office quietly. “Director Blackbird?”

“Yes, Starling come through.”

Hermione settled herself into the seat across from her. The Director had resumed her batty persona and blinked owlishly at the young spook.

“Your mission is coming to an end here.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“You’ll be reassigned as soon as you graduate.”

_I get to graduate?_

She didn’t voice her thoughts or allow her face to show her pleasure. “Of course, ma’am.”

The Director nodded pleased with her reaction. “You will start to tell your...friends and others that you have accepted a potions apprenticeship on the Continent and will be leaving after graduation. From there you will maintain correspondence with people closest to you ensuring you letters become less frequent and briefer. Then we will fake your death.”

Starling nodded. That was what she had expected though the potions apprenticeship was a bit of a surprise. She had supposed however that it would prevent Minerva, Filius or Spetima from offering their own apprenticeships if she had agreed to potions. They had all hinted to it last year. Potions was probably the safest application for their ruse.

“Ma’am?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Severus Snape?”

The Director pursed her lips and sat back. “Yes, a very sad loss.”

“So, he's actually dead.”

The older woman looked over her thick glasses. "You saw him die, Starling.”

“I saw myself die as well.”

A small smile graced her features. “Ah well no. Severus Snape is no more.”

A small part of her had hoped that somehow the Director had saved him but that was silly considering he wasn’t her spook. She had no reason to save him. Hermione stood up giving a short bow before exiting the office before her tears could fall.

***

Graduation was a ridiculous affair. People were crying and laughing, hugging and congratulating each other for finishing school. Such a silly inconsequential thing in the span of things. Ron was still mad at her when she told him that in no uncertain terms would she ever date him. He had stepped in the background glaring at her and withering under his mother's gaze when she caught him out.

Harry was excited about her achievements and her subsequent acceptance to an apprenticeship. He was sweet and Hermione felt a small bit of guilt for deceiving him but quickly buried it. He would move on with his life easily enough now he had done away with the biggest threat the United Kingdom's wizarding had seen for quite some time. His future looked bright and promising standing there proudly in his Auror robes with Ginny clinging to his side. Hermione was grateful he had a family to help him through when the news of her death would reach him. He would go on. He would be happy.

Hermione had thanked all her professors individually when she had collected her graduation scroll, even Professor Trelawny who had predicted her death in three years. Hermione shot Minerva an exasperated look which was returned with a shake of her head. She thanked Trelawney for warning her and shook her hand surprised to feel a piece of parchment pressed into her palm. As she stepped off the stage, she glanced at it before engulfing it in flames.

_ **See me** _

She spent enough time celebrating with her friends before begging off to pack up her room ready to leave Hogwarts forever. With almost everyone in the Great Hall gorging themselves no one noticed her slip up to the Divination classroom. Director Blackbird had shed her batty persona and ushered her into her office quickly.

“I’ve got a new mission for you Agent Starling,” she said handing Granger a folder. Hermione quickly skimmed the brief as her Director explained more to her. “An international terrorist group is developing magical bombs and threatening to kill thousands unless their demands are met. We’ve intelligence that they will be meeting in Budapest. You’re to infiltrate the group and discover who is dictating the attacks.”

“Yes Director.”

The Director stood and walked around the room “This is a highly dangerous case Starling and with your handler is dead and the program has ended I believe it necessary for you to have help.”

Hermione frowned as the Director opened the door.

“Agent Starling meet your new partner.”

Hermione watched as a man in a dark grey muggle business suit stepped into the room. His long dark hair secured at the nape of his neck giving him a distinguished look emphasized his pale face and black eyes. He held out a hand for her to shake and quirked an eyebrow down at her. “I look forward to working with you Agent Starling. I'm Agent Rook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CUE BOND MUSIC!!!!
> 
> I thought a Rook would be perfect for Severus' agent name. I am in the process of writing a sequel as well titled "BIRDS OF PREY". Despite this not being my genre I had a lot of fun writing this. Thank you to all of those who read, commented and gave kudos...it really meant a lot to me!

**Author's Note:**

> Slow start I know but I have to start somewhere. It picks up very quickly though I promise!


End file.
